A research project in Eastern and Southern Africa, with support from
the International
Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Access to and control of land and other natural resources is crucial for sustainable livelihoods, resource management and overall rural development, yet major social, political, and institutional challenges prevent the rural poor from gaining secure tenure rights - and such challenges are more pronounced for women. Unequal access to land, inputs such as seeds and fertiliser, and information and training, constrains women's productivity. Women also have limited decision-making power and depend on men for use rights-which are easily lost if they are widowed or divorced.
The debate on women's land rights has reached a critical point, at which there is sufficient understanding of the need for improving women's access to and control over land, but obstacles and challenges persist in practise due to their roots in the gendered power relations governing society. Advances have been made at the level of research, policy and advocacy, but further efforts are required to link research and advocacy to promote a transformative agenda of improving women's access to and rights over land and other resources.
For this purpose, ILC, in collaboration with two partner institutions in Africa namely, the Makerere Institute for Social Research (MISR) of Makerere University in Uganda and the Programme of Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) of the University of the Western Cape in South Africa, is undertaking a 30 month research project, with the overarching aim of learning from women and respond to their needs through applied research, as follows:
Objective 1: Supporting action-oriented research and advocacy projects in producing credible evidence in Sub-Saharan Africa through a small grants programme jointly coordinated with sub-regional research institutions;
Objective 2: To influence the formulation and implementation of policies relevant to women's access to and control over land in Sub-Saharan Africa, through national and regional advocacy based on research results;
Objective 3 : To refine the research & action agendas on women's access to and control over land by strengthening multi-stakeholder dialogue and partnerships at the regional and global level.
Research carried out under this project will focus on a) legal frameworks/policy - implementation gaps; b) women's agency; c) linkages between land and other resources; d) gendered implications of social/economic changes (especially HIV/AIDS, conflict, migration). It will not only provide evidence but also a platform to promote and advocate for a transformative agenda that supports rural poor women to improve their access to and control over land and other natural (and productive) resources, and will be integrated with the wider advocacy relationships and programmes of ILC.
The overall result expected will be an enhanced understanding of complex power relations and how they continue to hinder women's access to land. By learning from women and using this knowledge in trying to influence the formulation and implementation of relevant policies, women's role as change agents is strengthened.
ILC is looking for other additional support for project activities, particularly for the small grants programme under Objective 1, so as to allow for more action-oriented research projects to be undertaken, but also for knowledge sharing and advocacy activities at the national and sub-regional levels to enable a more through involvement of a variety of stakeholders.
